Hamilton 1, Dunfermline 0: Clear the air talks helped us, says Accies boss

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin says clear-the-air talks on Saturday led to a battling 1-0 win over Dunfermline tonight. Rankin was locked in the dressing room for over an hour on Saturday after losing 2-0 at Raith Rovers, without registering a shot on target.

But Stuart McKinstry’s 63rd-minute strike was enough to earn them a win over the Pars that takes Accies above them by three points, and out of the relegation play-off spot.

Rankin said: “The win is huge. We spoke about it on Saturday. We spent a lot of time in the dressing room on Saturday, there were a lot of voices, a lot of frustration, a lot of build-up. “I think the players had to get some things off their chest – which they did – and it opened up the full Sunday to be about tonight, rather than about Raith Rovers. “We had to move on very quickly, we came in on Sunday and, for the first time, we didn’t show any video, we didn’t speak about the Raith game at all, we moved on and spoke about tonight. “I think you could see that there wasn’t a hangover from Saturday, it was purely focused from Sunday morning and the players tonight were exceptional. “I thought we got the shape right, we were a threat, going forward, we had bodies near Oli Shaw, who wasn’t isolated at all. “I thought wee Scott Robinson was great, he really gets close to him, injects that energy and has a wee bit of devilment about him, which we need. “I’m delighted to get the three points.” Reghan Tumilty hit the right post with a header, and Sean McGinty had one saved by Tobi Oluwayemi, but other than that the first half didn’t have a lot going for it.

The second half was much better, and sub Connor Smith flashed a volley wide shortly after coming on at the interval. Dunfermline had a go, and